Building a Local Economy:

Community Currencies Have Impact on the Health Care Crisis

By Rich Creyer / Local Trade Partners, Northwest Arkansas

One of the biggest issues among small business owners is their lack of affordable health care coverage options. What if, instead of doing without ...  What if, instead of depending on governmental agencies to collect money from its citizens via taxes to pay health claims and provide health care, local family-owned businesses had a better way to pay for their health care? 

Our community-based local currency program, Local Trade Partners (www.localtradepartners.com) has just broken ground on what may be the biggest impact on the health care crisis for small business owners and entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas.

LTP, developed and managed by long-time NWA resident and pizza entrepreneur, Rolf Wilkin of Eureka Pizza, offers its participating businesses something few other barter organizations can.  That's access to private practice physicians, optometrists, dentist, oral surgeons, orthodontists, plastic surgeons, audiologists, podiatrists, psycho-therapists, chiropractic, acupuncture, even hospital care and emergency services-- all accepting Local Trade Dollars as payment. It's the LTP PPO, so to speak.

Local Trade Partners in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is the only community based local currency program in the nation known to successfully launch such a program. 

Not only is this a tremendous advancement for the 400-plus local businesses in the Local Trade Partners group, it's a novel, eye-opening solution to the health care costs problem.

Using excess inventory that would normally be discounted below acquisition costs, LTP enrolled businesses can sell dollar for dollar to other participating businesses. They earn "currency credits" which they can in turn spend any where in the network.

While the concept of trade and barter is not at all new, the addition of health care to the inventory roster is. Now, with the addition of the Physicians' Specialty Hospital, known as the official healthcare provider of the Arkansas Razorbacks, LTP has added the area's premier surgeons and quality care to their members-only benefits.

Physicians' Specialty Hospital (http://www.pshfay.com/) offers in-patient care along with specialties in advanced spine surgery, urology, podiatry, general surgery, orthopedics and sports medicine, gynecological surgery, weight loss surgery, pain management and plastic reconstructive surgery.

Rich Creyer, has a degree in Economics and has worked with big box companies like IBM and AIG. He is currently the Trade Broker for Local Trade Partners, in Fayetteville, a concern that works to build preserve and protect local business and the local economy using “local currency.” Email Rich at rich@localtradepartners.com.